Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld about Romantic Comedy, a hilarious and compelling meta-romance (and Reese's Book Club pick!) about a comedy writer who has sworn off love, the comedy sketch she writes about the phenomenon of ordinary-looking men dating gorgeous female celebrities (and how the opposite just doesn’t happen), and the dreamy pop star that flips the script on all her assumptions. Curtis talks about her love of SNL, how much fun she had researching it, the real-life “dating-up” phenomenon, and the experience of writing mid-pandemic (and incorporating it into the story). She also talks about her impressive twenty-year career, her favorite writer, and the A++ book she read recently.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/41wgrYbPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/40dTkQWSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to perinatal psychiatrist and New York Times contributor Pooja Lakshmin, MD, about her compassionate and actionable new book Real Self Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included). Dr. Lakshmin discusses her New York Times article, “This is Betrayal, Not Burnout,” which argues women are burnt out because their social systems have failed them. Then, she dives into “real self-care” – an internal, self-reflective process that includes learning to set boundaries and letting go of mom guilt. Finally, she talks about her IVF journey, her mental health platform (Gemma), and what it was like to write this book!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/41qUklRPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3UA1imeSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews author Jane Roper about The Society of Shame, a heartfelt, witty, and hysterical satirical novel about forty-seven-year-old perimenopausal Kathleen Held, her cheating politician husband, and the big period stain that catapults her to unwanted fame (#YesWeBleed). Jane talks about her fascination with the internet and cancel culture, her journey to writing this book (and how she finally let herself be funny!), the inspiration behind the beautiful cover, and her experience raising twins while fighting her depression (which she wrote a memoir about). Zibby could not stop raving about Jane’s book and picked it for Zibby’s Book Club in August!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/41nN75YPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/43tebTgSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling poet and repeat MDHTTRB guest Maggie Smith joins Zibby to discuss You Could Make This Place Beautiful, a beautiful and heartrending memoir-in-vignettes about how she reckoned with her past and found herself again after the disintegration of her marriage. Maggie discusses her book’s unique structure and style. She also talks about her divorce, parenting, the power of home and community, her hobbies, her next few projects (one is an anti-anxiety bedtime story!), and the writers who inspired her to take risks in her own work. Zibby loved Maggie’s memoir so much that it is her May pick for Zibby’s Book Club! Join us!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3obNcLWPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KyobBPSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews author and pediatrician Dr. Kelly Fradin about her important, empathetic, and comprehensive new guidebook Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges. Dr. Kelly Fradin explains how her mother advocated for her when she had childhood cancer and how she too has had to trust her own parental intuition and advocate for her daughter. She also shares her tips for dealing with difficult diagnoses, building and leaning on support systems, discussing mental health issues without feeling shame, and knowing where to find factual and trustworthy information. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3MqQll0Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KNw1cbSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by author, award-winning journalist, and repeat MDHTTRB guest Anissa Gray to discuss Life and Other Love Songs, a riveting, complex, and astonishingly moving African American family saga about a father’s sudden disappearance and how it unravels the lives of the family members he leaves behind. Anissa talks about her decision to write from different perspectives and time periods, the real-life disappearance that inspired this story, and the difficult events that happened in her own life while she wrote it. Zibby loved this book so much that she chose it for Zibby's Book Club in June!!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3zPBetTPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/43pfsdRSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to award-winning author and repeat MDHTTRB guest Rachel Beanland about The House is on Fire, a propulsive work of historical fiction about a fire that ravaged a theater mid-performance and forever entwined the lives of four very different Americans: a young stagehand, a society widow, an enslaved woman, and a blacksmith. Rachel talks about her meticulous research of the real 1811 Richmond fire and her use of fiction to fill in the gaps in the historical records and create a gripping narrative. She also talks about what it was like to write this book mid-pandemic, her ultimate goal of giving a voice to those who were rarely written about, and the books she has read recently and loved. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3KnyeK6Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KfygDKSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by writer and podcaster Laura Tremaine to discuss her latest book The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs, an adult friendship book filled with honest confessions, wisdom, and wit. Laura discusses the different types of friends (from the “battle buddy” to the “obsessive”) and then describes her personal experiences with friendship, from making her deepest friendships in her tiny Oklahoma hometown to feeling completely lonely after moving to LA to finally learning how to evaluate and nurture her smaller friendship circle. She also talks about her podcast, 10 Things To Tell You, and shares her best advice for aspiring authors. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/413vfNGPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KxGs3CSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews author Ella Berman about her second novel, Before We Were Innocent, a haunting and dazzling page-turner about three teenage best friends and the fateful summer trip to Greece that ends with one of them dying and the other two being blamed for it. Ella discusses a theme she loved exploring: the simultaneous power and vulnerability of youth and female friendships. She also talks about her life before publishing her books (it involves Sony Music and selling vintage clothes), the success of her mid-pandemic debut (The Comeback), the book she is working on now, and what she loves to do when she's not writing!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/415uN18Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/43aj17wSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to debut author Tiffany Clarke-Harrison about Blue Hour, a raw and transcendent novel about a Black Japanese woman struggling with infertility and questioning if she should even bring another Black child into the world, especially after her photography student is a victim of police brutality. Tiffany discusses the themes she explored so beautifully: grief, motherhood, marriage, resilience, art, race, and violence, admitting that it was, at times, a grueling experience. She also shares how writing made its way into her life, how a professor’s advice and an unexpected multiple sclerosis diagnosis encouraged her to finally get published, and how thrilled she is to share this moment with her children. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3UbtpIgPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3zFr9znSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.